Need/Want Your Feed Back

I went for it. I submitted my Application and 4 photos for the Buckman Art Show and Sell event in town. Now I’m just waiting to hear, in three weeks. So for know I want to put my pictures out there and get your feed back on my items and any other input would be greatly appreciated. This is my first ever venture into selling my creations.

Let me know your thoughts. If these items were out on a vendors table would you stop, look and buy? Reasonable priced items from $18.00 to $40.00.

What type of table display would catch your eye?

All photos were taken by me. So any input on ways to better the photos is also welcome.

Oh my, vendor booths, eeck. I’m getting ahead of myself though. I have to wait to hear if I am part of the event, which is the first weekend in March 2009.
Any thoughts on this would also be appreciated. I’m not sure the size of the booth area but it’s probably not longer that 4 feet table. I’m thinking.

So spread the word, the more feed back the better.

Though, I do have one more creation to share with you. My snowflake baby. This was not one that I submitted.

After my doll coffin I got this idea for winter time. It’s only a little over 3 inches tall and 2 ¼ inches wide. One of my very small, 1 inch, frozen charlotte dolls encased in glass and surrounded by hand cut blue stained glass. With a small strand of beads inside.

Charms…
Are done and sent off to the hostesses. A couple more things I can check off my list. Here is what I made.
For Denise’s Christmas Soldered charm swap I thought I would try something different. I cut pieces of glass in the shape of a triangle, added collage piece, then taped and soldered each piece adding strips of tape to imitate garland strung on a tree. Then I took small pieces of trunk shaped glass taped and soldered those to the base of the tree. I attached a jump ring to the top. Decorated little match boxes and wrapped a charm in each.

My second swap Holiday Ornament/charm swap hosted by Allegra. I made these a bit bigger so they can be strung on a tree or added to garland. Picture holiday memories of making a snowman and ice skating that are sandwiched between pieces of glass then soldered together and a jump ring and ribbon are added to the top. I found these great boxes that the ornaments can be stored in. I decorated them in green and red colors. The mesh window on the top is great so you can see the ornament that is inside.
So on to the next item on my list.

My Soldering Story

Eight years ago, the year 2000, for mother’s day I made a set of 4 coasters for my mom. Pulled out eight different photos sandwiched them between glass that I had cut to size. Purchased some copper tape to keep the sandwiched glass pieces together. That was that, I thought.

Here are two of the ones I made. As you can see the copper tape has faded and is dull.

Over the next several years I would make these for family and friends as gifts along with working on my other crafty hobbies; floral arrangements, card making, scrapbooking all those photos I kept on taking and anything else that peaked my interest.
It was not until my first Art and Soul in 2006, at Vendors night that I was just drawn to this great display of hanging soldered charms. I looked at each one on that rack. I would love to have been able to purchase every one of those great beauties. Though there was one in particular that got my attention. Here Kitty Kitty Kitty.

I currently have two cats and growing up I had this cat I used to carry around, I called Mittins.

Wondering the rest of the table, I saw the just published book by Sally Jean. Picking it up and thumbing through it, I could not put it down. With out a second thought I purchased both items.

Headed off and wondered the room stopping by Claudine Hellmuth’s booth. She was the reason I found Art and Soul. I had signed up for her Poppet Puppets class, that August, thinking this would be a great thing I could make with my nephew and niece. It is, they loved making them.
Since I was late in registering that year I was not able to take any of Sally’s classes. Though, I had her new book that I read several times from cover to cover. Then life happened again and was not able to get to doing any of the projects let alone purchase the supplies.
Believe me when registration for Art and Soul 2007 came around I was right there to sign up for Sally’s Le Divine Shrine class. Ok so I jumped right over the soldering for virgins class.
I was hooked. Though I keep working and trying different mediums it is soldering that I come back to. I have even worked on soldering different items other than glass. If copper tape will stick to it and the item wont melt I will probably solder it.

So if I had only known eight years ago about this thing called solder, oh my golly. Another tidbit I realized is that I like my jewelry to be silver not gold, in color.
Thank you for reading my story. Stay tuned for more of my continuing story.

I Am Me

I remembered I had this poem when I was working on Sharon’s necklace from Laurel’s Round Robin I’m a part of. Her theme is ‘Who are you?’
Back in high school I had this wall poster with a poem from Virginia Satir titled I Am Me. The poster has since been lost but I wrote the poem down and always carry a written copy in my purse. I would like to share the poem with you.

I Am Me
In all the world, there is no one else exactly like me
Everything that comes out of me is authentically mine
Because I alone chose it - I own everything about me
My body, my feelings, my mouth, my voice, all my
Actions whether they be to others or to myself - I own
My fantasies, my dreams, my hopes, my fears - I own
All my triumphs and successes, all my failures and
Mistakes because I own all of me, I can become
Intimately acquainted with me - by so doing I can love
Me and be friendly with me in all my parts - I know
There are aspects that I do not know - but as long as I am
Friendly and loving to myself, I can courageously and
Hopefully look for solutions to the puzzles and for ways
To find out more about me - however I look and sound,
Whatever I say and do, whatever I think and feel
At a given moment in time is authentically me - If
Later some parts of how I looked, sounded, thought,
And felt turn out to be unfitting, I can discard that
Which is unfitting, keep the rest, and invent something
New for that which I discarded - I can see, hear, feel,
Think, say, and do I have the tools to survive, to be
Close to others, to be productive, and to make sense and
Order out of the world of people and things outside of
Me - I own me, and therefore I can engineer me -
I am me and
I AM OKAY

Virginia Satir

So, who am I? I am me and I am an ever changing being.

The rest of my weekend

Saturday evening my niece Grace came to have a sleep over at Aunt Melissa’s house. We broke out the paints and papers. Quite the talent for a 4 year old, if I do say so myself.

We read a few books then she got tucked in for the night with her light up bear she brought. That twin bed in my play room is getting some use again, besides for storing boxes on. After I finished up some things and before heading to bed, I checked in on her, sound asleep. Any time I have my nephews or nieces over for a night I seem to be a light sleeper. Thinking at any point during the night they could wake up and I need to be able to hear that. Safe to say no night mares or ghosts under the bed.

So Sunday comes and we have a nice breakfast of waffles, eggs, bacon and juice. Back to more creating.

As grace worked on more painting, I worked on my Christmas charms for the charmsters swap I’m in. Grace wanted to help so she staked the glass pieces in the shape of a flower.

Genius, did I mention that she is only 4 years old. I am here to pass on our creative gene.

We also lounged on the couch and watched a movie, had popcorn and hot coco.

I already got Grace her Christmas gift. She always likes seeing the photos that I have on my camera. So I bought her a Fisher Price Kid Tough Digital Camera. She can take and print out pictures of her very own.

Where Women Create is here

My weekend started out with snuggling up in my favorite chair and pulling out the premier issue of Where Women Create. Just looking at the cover you know that it is going to house such great inspiration and a wealth of talented ladies.
If you have not yet gotten your copy, I definitely suggest you pick one up.